(Motorsport) The third and final sprint of the 2021 Formula 1 season will take place this weekend as Mercedes look to catch up with Red Bull at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo, Brazil. With only four races to go, Verstappen is currently on 312.5 points while his closest competitor Lewis Hamilton is on 293.5 points in the Drivers Standings. The Constructors Championship is a lot closer between Red Bull and Mercedes with the Silver Arrows having only a one point advantage over their rivals heading into Brazil.
Verstappen has truly raced like a champion in the United States and Mexico, performing when it has mattered the most to gain a 19 point advantage. A win at the São Paulo GP will be a huge advantage for the Dutchman, who can go to the Middle East for the remaining three races knowing fully well that he can afford to finish 2nd in all of them and still win his maiden title. It’s impossible to predict which driver will have the advantage on this track as both Verstappen and Hamilton have won 2 of the last four GP’s in Brazil. The momentum might be with Red Bull and Verstappen at the moment but the 24 year old has downplayed it, claiming the teams will be much closer in the upcoming weekend.
To add to the excitement, the third and final Sprint race will also take place, having already taken place at Silverstone and Monza. Both Verstappen and Hamilton have collided on the Sunday after the two sprint races took place previously but fans will be hoping that an incident does not take place this time around, especially with the stakes higher than ever for the two racing drivers and 107 points still up for grabs.
Formula 1 is a sport of fine margins and Verstappen alongside Red Bull will be well aware of how things can go wrong which could put all the hard work put throughout the season in jeopardy. If that’s one thing even the most casual Formula 1 fan knows, it’s that Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes cannot be underestimated and that the race isn’t over until it is. The seven time World Champion has reiterated that he will not give up and the championship will go right down to the wire. The 36 year old said “All I can do is just squeeze everything out of this car. They clearly have a stronger car so I think all I can do is just make sure we don't leave any stone unturned and we just maximise all we have, and give it my all.”
However, Red Bull can take solace in the fact that their car looked much more superior than the Mercedes in Mexico, with Verstappen winning the race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez by a 16.5 second margin over Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said “You have to congratulate Red Bull because the pace was just on another level. I don't think we could have won the race even if we had stayed ahead in the first corner because they could have driven circles around the pit-stops. So in the end I think for Lewis' championship it was damage limitation, as for the constructors [Mercedes are now only one point ahead of Red Bull], Valtteri spinning out Turn 1 was just very painful."
